February 3, 2012

BaseballInstinct looks at Sox prospect RHP Jeffrey Soptic

Gas, cheese, heat. These are the best tools in Jeffrey Soptic’s arsenal. He takes advantage of his size and at 6’6″, he should get stronger as he develops. I don’t need to tell you that a guy who can hit a consistent 96 mph throughout an entire inning, let alone an entire start, is rare. If the MLB was full of them it would be a little too rough for the hitters. Soptic’s main issue has been to learn to pitch low in the zone with his fastball. It’s currently very flat despite the plus velocity.

His slider is a pitch that can flash plus, which is promising but he really needs to develop it further and gain more consistency. It would be to his advantage to work on a nasty sinker for those batters sitting on the fastball.

The Mechanics

Jeffrey Soptic has a smooth and easy delivery and uses his size and arm strength to deliver his high 90s, and at times 100 plus, velocity. His mechanics are solid and sound; no need for polishing in that area especially since he profiles so well at the back of the pen.

Soptic pitched 2.2 innings in Bristol after he got drafted in June 2011: